Safety-razor.



J. MOLKENTHIN, JR.

SAFETY RAZOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5. 1914.

1,146,945, Patented July 20, 1915.

J .J WITNESSES INVENTOR 71 MMWQT JOSEPH MOLKENTHIN', JR, or NEWARK, NEW JE sEY, AssreNoR 'ro CLARK BLADE & RAZOR COMPANY, or NEWARK, new JERSEY, A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

sAFn'rY-RAzoR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 19115.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JosErH MoLKnN'rnIiv,

Jr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Razors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates-to safety razors, and more especially to razors of the well known hoe type in which removable and replaceable blades are held in a suitable holder, which permits of all the blades being removed and replaced as desired. In such razors it is common to obtain the holding action for securing the blade in place byscrewing on the handle, and, for example, in my former Patent .No. 1,005,273, of which this is an improvement, the blade has been pushed upward against retainingmembers by the end of the handle uponscrewing the latter in place. Unless the screw-threaded shank on the end of such handle is formed of exactly the'right length to secure the proper holding action the blade is liable either to beinsecurely held or to be bent upward in its middle and put under a tension which may result in its breakage. Furthermore, in such construction, as the extent to which the threaded shankon the end of the handle may be screwed up is determined only by the shoulder at the end of such screw-threaded shank, it becomes essential that the threads of the screw-threaded handle shank be formed with accuracy and precision right up to the shoulder. Furthermore, in my said patent, and in many other safety razor holders, according to the art in practice up to the present, the blade is freed upon the handle being unscrewed, so that it can read ily drop out, and care has to be exercised in holding the parts so that when the handle is unscrewed 'the blade will not drop out and be injured or inflict injury. Furthermore, with such construction it is necessary that the blade be removed from its-holder after use topermit the cleaning of lather and hairs from between the blade and guard where they are collected in-the act of shaving. v

According to my present invention a safety razor blade holder is produced in which the disadvantageous features referred to are not present; the blade is initially p0- sitioned in one member of the holder and can not drop out, but remains in place therein whether the handle be screwed in place or not, and there is no occasion or opportunity for bending and breaking the blade by screwing the handle too'far or too tight; the screw-threaded portion of the handle which is made use of in the holding operation is at some little distance from the shoulder at its inner end so that there is no necessity of accurately and carefully forming the screw threads on the shank right up to the shoulder.

According to the present invention there is further provided means for positioning the blade on its carryingmember so that when brought into contact with the member upon which the guard is separately formed it will register therewith and'will not require further positioning or attention. Furthermore, the guard member and the blade carrying member of the present invention are pivoted together so that it becomes unnecessary to'remove the blade after each use, and, the guard and holder may be readily cleaned without removing the blade, which may be retained in place in the holder until it gets dull and must be replaced by a new blade.

lVith the foregoing and related objects in view, my invention consists in the parts, improvements and combinations herein set forth and claimed.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood I have shown one embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, but it is to be understood that the same is shown for the purpose of illustration only and that my invention is not confined to the'specific form shown. I r

In the said drawings, wherein the same reference characters are applied to designate the same parts throughout, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a razor embodying my invention and showing a blade in position therein.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the holder with the blade removed. Fig.- 3 is a view in side elevation of a razor embodying my invention and having the blade therein, and Fig. 4c is a view taken from the same direction as Fig. 3, but partly sectional, the sectional portion being taken on the line M, Fig. 1, and also showing an adjustedposit-ion of the blade carrying member of the holder in dotted lines.

The reference numeral 10 is applied to designate the head of-the'holder generally,

and the handle is shown at 11. The headof the holder comprises two parts which are pivoted together, namely, the bladeearry ing, positioning and retaining member 12, and the co-acting member 13 whichxcarries theguard for the cutting edge of the blade.

These two members 12 and 13.;arepivotednto position upon the second member 13 of the holder. In the form shown such means comprises upwardly and inwardly turned hooks 19, 19, formed at each end of the blade and having projecting end portions 20, 20 which extend beyond the forward edge21 of the plate 18 and above portions of the member 13. Such projecting end portions are preferably bent downward slightly at their extremities, as shown at22. The

@plate 18 is also preferably provided with additional blade holding and positioning members which, as shown, have the form of upwardly and inwardly extending hooks 23, 23 at each end thereof which, like the hook portions 19, 19, are preferably formed integral with the plate 18. These hook portions-23, 23 are preferably provided with rearwardly extending projections 23, contact with suitable positioning means provided on the blade, and by co-action there with to position the blade and to determine the extent of projection of its cutting edge beyond the forward edge 21 of the plate 18. The hook members 23, 23 being formed with extensions 23*, 23 clear the ears 15 of the member 13 and permit free pivotal movement of the members 12 and-13. The pivot studs 17 are also preferably formed integral with the plate 18, and said plate 18 is preferably, provided with an integral downwardly extending rear flange 24- to stiffen and strengthen the member 12. Said plate 18 of member 12 is also provided, preferably 7 at aboutits central portion, with an opening 25 which is interiorly screw-threadedto receive the screw threadssupon the end of the 25 of the member12, and the metal of the member '13 is preferably recessed or upset somewhat, as shown at 28, about the opening 27, such upset part being preferably slightly out of line. with the principal portion ofthe member 13, as shown, in order to provide awpropercutting angle for the blade and at the same time to accommodate a square shoulder on the handle 11. The member, 13 is I prdvided 1 at its jforwardredge with suitable guard membersy such as the'zteeth 29,

and is al-so provided with means for preventing -injury[- to the face by the corners of the blade, the means provided for this purposecompiising upstanding studs or projections 30,30 formed on the guardteeth at each endoftheguard -member.

Immediately behind and preferably in line withthe bases of the guard teeth '29 the member l3 is provided witha longitudinally extendingsurface. 31, upon which the blade 32*may rest andagain st; which it ,may

beheld'by the projections or tongues 20 upon thejhooks 19 of the member 12. :Such

guard fingers-29 and the blade supporting 7 part 31 :of the member 13 are-preferably elevated somewhat above the remainder of the member13 to register-with the plate 18 of the member l-2'and at' the same time to permit'the recessing o-f' the members 12 and 13 about the openings-25-ancl-2T as already de scribed.

The blade -32 is providedwith means for co acting with the-positioning members ,23, 23 and'for therebydetermining the extent of its projection at the cutting edge beyond the forward edge of the plate"18. In the form shown the thin removable-Iblade, is provided I with the customary backing 33, which backing is cut away, as showniat 34, 34, and shoulders 35, 35 are formed therein to contact with the projections 23, 23*;on the hooks 23, 23, and to thereby accurately position the blade in, place so that the same-mayextend beyond the member 12 to an extentjust sufficient to cause the corners at the cutting edge to rest immediately behind the outwardly projecting guard members30, 30 and position of thebla de for shaving l The members" 12 and 13- being loosely pivoted togetherand not in contact at the for- Without coming into contact therewith, thus V giving 1 the correct This operation is easily performed and without the danger of injuring the blade which is always present when the blade is inserted over the guard and in contact therewith. The blade, being held between the plate 18 and the hooks 19 and 23, will be retained in place upon the member 12 unless purposely withdrawn therefrom, so that there is no chance of the blade dropping out when the parts of the holderare disassembled, and no need to remove it in order to clean the holder. After the blade is inserted the member 12 is turned on its pivots into contact with the member 13, and the handle 11, having a shoulder 36 and a screw-threaded end portion 37, is inserted through the opening 27 and screwed into the screw-threaded opening 25 in the member 12. In this manner the members 12 and 13 are drawn together, so that the projections 20, 20 of the hooks 19, 19 rest upon the blade supporting portion 31 of .the member 13 with the blade interposed, which supporting portion 31 is preferably placed immediately behind the projecting teeth or guard 29 and extends longitudinally of the member 13 through its entire length.

It will be seen that with the arrangement that has been described the blade is held and accurately positioned upon the member 12 and in place thereon, and that itwill be retained by the member 12 whether the parts are assembled with the handle in place or not; that the screw thread 37 need not be cut with accurate precision up to the shoulder 36 since it does not enter a screw-threaded opening in the immediate neighborhood of such shoulder; that the blade can always be clamped securely in place irrespective of the precise length of the screw-threaded shank 37 beyond the shoulder 36; that there is no chance for the blade being broken by undue pressure in screwing up the handle, such pressure not resulting in any bending of the blade, but merely resulting in increased pressure between the members 12 and 13, the blade lying. fiat between them, and, if the plate 18 is bent by screwing up the handle especially tight such bending does not extend to the blade, but the plate 18 is bent beneath the blade which can remain flat and unbent; and that numerous other features of advantage and increased utility are obtained.

It is to be understood that modifications and substitution of equivalents may be made in the precise structure shown within the scope of my claims and without departing from my invention. or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 7

1. In a safety razor, a blade holding plate, hooks on its upper surface to hold and position a blade in place thereon, said plate being depressed at one part and provided with a screw-threaded opening thereat, a separate guard member, and a screw-threaded handle for entering said aperture and drawing said plate down on said guard member, substantially as set forth.

2. In a safety razor, a plate having hooks for holding a blade thereon, said plate being further provided with top hooks formed with rear stops thereon, ablade having a backing andshoulders in said backing to cooperate with said stops and position the blade on said plate, a separate guard member to which said plate is pivoted, studs on the ends of the guard member and disposed so that they protect the corners of the edge of the blade when the plate is swung into position, and means extending through the guard member to draw the plate and a blade held thereby down upon the guard member, substantially as set forth.

3. In a safety razor, a holder comprising two parts pivoted together, the first of said parts having means to hold and position a blade upon the upper surface thereof, the second of said parts comprising a guard for the cutting edge of the blade, said parts being provided with registering openings, that in the lower part being unthreaded, and that in the upper part being threaded, and a handle having a threaded end inserted at the first named opening and screwed in the second named opening to hold the parts together and to draw a blade held by the upper part of the holder down upon the guard of the lower part of the holder, substantially as set forth.

4- In a safety razor, a guard member provided with end flanges and upwardly extending perforated ears and having a blade supporting portion and guard finger extending upwardly at one edge, said member being provided with a substantially central opening, a blade holding member pivoted in said ears and provided with means for holding and positioning a blade in its upper surface and having a screw-threaded opening registering with the opening in the first named member, and a handle comprising a shoulder and a screw-threaded part beyond said shoulder and adapted when inserted in the opening in the first member to screw in the opening in the second member and hold the parts in place, substantially as set forth.

5. In a safety razor, a guard member provided with upwardly extending perforated ears at its ends and having a raised blade supporting portion and guard finger at the front edge, the member having an opening in rear of said raised portion, a blade holding member pivoted in said ears and having its front too short to engage the raised portion of the guard member, hooks on the blade holding member extending forward so as to swing down on the blade supporting portion of the guard member, a blade held between the bottom part and'the hooks of the blade holding member and acting to limit the swinging of said last mentioned member by engaging the blade supporting portion of the guard member, the blade holding member having a screw-threaded opening registering With the opening in the guard member, and ahandle comprising a 10 shoulder and a screw-threaded part beyond said-shoulder to engage; the screw-threaded opening in the blade holding member.

In te'stimonythat-I claim-the foregoing, I havejherennto set my hand, this 20th day of October; 1914.

JOSEPH MOLKENTHIN, JR.

Witnesses:

M. A. JOHNSON, H. TRAUTVETTER.

Copies of this patent may *be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of l'atents.

i Washington, Di-C. 

